Bates Amy L, McGrath Shawn R, Allworth Maxwell B, Robertson Susan M, Refshauge Gordon
School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jan 23;13(3):388. doi: 10.3390/ani13030388.
The management of ewes across southern Australia may vary with breed and can change over time and, as such, a greater understanding of producer management practices and the motivations that influence these practices is required. A cross-sectional study was performed by telephone interview with sheep producers managing Composite, Maternal, Merino or shedding ewe breeds mated in either spring, summer, or autumn. The surveyed producers were a unique subset of southern Australian producers. A large proportion of the surveyed producers followed current best practice guidelines for ewe mating and lambing nutritional management; however, some producers did not align with these targets. Further, some producers did not see the value in attaining the current recommendations. Pregnancy scanning was widely practiced, likely an artefact of the recruitment process; however, a few producers did not utilize this information for nutritional management at lambing time. Finally, most producers were active in their search for new information, seeking information regularly from a wide range of sources and reported making management changes within the last five years. Further work is required to understand why some producers are not adopting best practice where possible and to understand current barriers for adoption. Management guidelines for all sheep breeds are required to best manage sheep across southern Australia.
澳大利亚南部母羊的管理方式可能因品种而异，且会随时间变化，因此，需要更深入地了解养殖户的管理做法以及影响这些做法的动机。通过电话访谈对管理杂交、母系、美利奴或季节性脱毛母羊品种的养殖户进行了一项横断面研究，这些母羊品种在春季、夏季或秋季配种。接受调查的养殖户是澳大利亚南部养殖户中的一个独特子集。很大一部分接受调查的养殖户遵循了当前关于母羊配种和产羔营养管理的最佳实践指南；然而，一些养殖户并未达到这些目标。此外，一些养殖户认为达到当前建议并无价值。妊娠扫描广泛应用，这可能是招募过程的产物；然而，少数养殖户在产羔时并未将此信息用于营养管理。最后，大多数养殖户积极寻求新信息，定期从广泛的来源获取信息，并报告在过去五年内进行了管理变革。需要进一步开展工作，以了解为何一些养殖户在可能的情况下不采用最佳实践，以及了解当前采用最佳实践的障碍。需要制定针对所有绵羊品种的管理指南，以最好地管理澳大利亚南部的绵羊。
